･ MEDIAN ･
by prettiugli
Summary: A tall, handsome, straight-laced honor student finds himself being constantly dragged into the chaos of an attractive spiky-haired delinquent. A drama-packed story with twists, turns, smut and suspense! [prideshipping & eventual flareshipping, school life AU, dark themes, smut, ･ story on hold]
1. Chapter 1

Kaiba looped his fingers through the chain-link fence and held on tightly, gazing down at the steep drop right beneath him. He curled his toes over the concrete edge, feeling his hands ache as his breath came out in slow, shallow pants.

He tensed, seeing a couple of people walk by underneath him, and he sighed, staring at the white space of concrete far below him.

It was a sunny afternoon and there was a pleasant wind that ruffled through his hair.

Not a bad day to commit suicide.  
Not a bad day to leave his body twisted and splattered on the ground right outside the school grounds.  
Not bad at all.

Yami leaned the rooftop door shut behind him, breathing a sigh of relief.

He had narrowly avoided the hall monitor and managed to sneak up to the roof for a quick smoke.

He palmed his box of cigarettes and patted his pockets for his lighter, hearing a soft rustle beside him.

Glancing around cautiously, he spied a pair of shoes tucked neatly against the wall, and a folded piece of paper sat pinned underneath the heel.

Deeply curious, Yami clicked his lighter off and tucked the cigarette behind his ear, walking towards the shoes and kept his senses sharp. Someone was on the roof with him.

He heard another rustle and Yami jerked his head up, seeing a fellow student standing on the other side of the safety barrier, leaning over the edge of the building, looking as if he was about to jump.

He was wearing an honor student's armband and his fingertips were white against the cold metal as he clung tightly onto the fence, and Yami felt his heart stop in his chest.

He was about to witness a suicide!

He let out a huff of air, half-amused, half-disgusted. It was painfully clear that the way the honor student was gripping onto the fence meant that they didn't want to jump.

He daringly took a few steps closer towards the student, suddenly recognizing the light brown hair.

Seto Kaiba.

Letting out a snort of derision, Yami approached the fence with a smirk. This guy was a pain! It would be glorious if he witnessed him leaping off the edge today! There would be no one to report him for breaking dress code or for smoking on the roof.

Kaiba froze, hearing footsteps behind him, and he whipped his head around, his heart threatening to explode out of his chest with anger as he was caught in the dark violet gaze of the delinquent he hated the most.

Yami.

"Nice day for a jump," Yami goaded, biting back a smile as he grabbed the cigarette from behind his ear and lit it with a soft click. "I'll wait. Want to yell at me for skipping class one last time before you go?"

He leaned heavily against the fence, causing it to sway, and Kaiba grit his teeth furiously as he felt his body sway along with it.

Cursing to himself, Kaiba took several deep breaths, steadying himself. God was cruel indeed. He couldn't even die peacefully without the school's most violent troublemaker standing behind him, grinning, watching with amusement. Despicable.

"…Fuck off please," Kaiba managed through gritted teeth, hating himself for even saying 'please'.

"No." Yami answered simply, taking a long drag and holding his breath tightly, feeling his heart pound thickly in his ears. What was this feeling? Fear? Concern? For this arrogant, straight-laced, top student?  
No way. This feeling was excitement.  
Excitement at the thought of seeing him dead on the pavement below on this bright sunny day.

"Try to land on your neck," Yami advised heartlessly, giving his cigarette a careless flick, seeing ash fall from the tip and onto the ground. "Otherwise you'll just end up paralyzed and useless in a bed for the rest of your life."

"SHUT UP!" Kaiba shouted, his throat growing hoarse from his sudden outburst, and he could hear his own voice echoing painfully around them on the empty rooftop. "You don't know anything about my life, so just…fuck off!"

"And you don't know mine," Yami said calmly, sitting down on the ground and taking long, slow drags and exhaling quickly, seeing the smoke float before his eyes. "Always giving me cleaning duty…and reporting me for smoking. What if acting out like this is what's keeping me alive?"

Kaiba drew in a deep breath through his clenched teeth, willing himself to feel nothing.

What the hell was this guy trying to do? Talk him down? Because it wasn't working.

"Smoking will kill you." Kaiba shot back stupidly, feeling his head spin as another light breeze grazed his cheeks.

Yami let out a hearty laugh, stabbing his cigarette stub into the ground by his feet, creating a dark, ashy mark. "Hanging off the edge of the building will kill you."

He threw a careless glance over his shoulder and pointed at the note tucked underneath the pair of shoes. "Hey, is that your suicide note, Seto Kaiba? I'll check it for errors."

Kaiba let out an angry hiss and then a furious shout, attempting to turn his head to glare at Yami behind him, but he couldn't do so without slipping off the edge.

"Get the fuck away from there!" he yelled, giving the fence a vicious shake, feeling himself sway dangerously in the wind. "It's not meant for you! I didn't want you to find it!"

Yami let out a mirthless laugh and paused in his step. "Listen to yourself, Mr. Top Student. You don't get to decide who reads your shit when you're dead!"

Kaiba felt his fingers ache as he gripped the fence with all his might, giving it another shake, hearing it rattle, the clinking, tinny sound ringing in his ears.

"Get…the fuck…back here!" he growled at Yami. "Don't fucking read it! Help me back over so I can kill you!"

Yami blinked twice, feeling himself nod. Well, that worked….

He walked back towards the fence and watched Kaiba nimbly let go of the fence with one hand to flip himself around and pull himself up with the other hand.

"Don't fall," Yami drawled, thinking Kaiba didn't need any help at all. "I don't want your spirit coming back to haunt me."

He saw Kaiba's bare foot slip ever so slightly on the edge of the concrete barrier, and he rushed forward to grab onto Kaiba's forearm, giving him a strong tug over the edge of the fence.

The wind was knocked out of him as Kaiba landed painfully on top of him, and his elbows stung as they hit the ground.

Yami gasped in pain, feeling Kaiba roll off of him, panting lightly. His back was damp with sweat and his light brown hair matted handsomely across his forehead.

"Fuck…you," Kaiba panted, watching Yami sit up slowly and shoot him an affronted glare.

"Is that how they say 'thank you' on your planet?" Yami responded mildly, watching Kaiba rise unsteadily to his feet and stride frantically towards his shoes.

"You're welcome!" he called spitefully after Kaiba's retreating form, watching him pry the door open and slam it loudly behind him.

"Good riddance…top student my ass," Yami grumbled to himself, reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes.

He lay flat on the concrete ground and tucked his arms behind his head, staring up at the clear blue sky, puffing lightly on his cigarette, feeling mildly pleased with himself.

* * *

Days and weeks passed.

Yami found himself surrounded by gangsters who weren't his friends, all of them gazing down at him angrily, asking him why the golden boy, Seto Kaiba, was no longer ragging on him for not wearing the uniform shirt underneath his blazer.

He shrugged them off rudely, knowing he would pay for it later, but it was better than explaining what had transpired on the roof several weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Kaiba found himself being stopped by teachers, asking him why he was no longer reinforcing the dress code on the school's unruliest student.

He shrugged them off rudely, knowing he might be punished for it later, but it was better than explaining what had transpired on the roof several weeks ago.

And Yami found himself unconsciously watching Seto Kaiba from afar.  
He would see him pass by in the hallway and feel himself heat up. He would feel his eyes following Kaiba's back whenever they crossed paths, and it was becoming concerning and irritating.

Even though Kaiba was pointedly ignoring and avoiding him, his eyes would immediately try to seek him out in a crowded auditorium.  
Why?!

And Kaiba did his best to avoid Yami, but the irritating thing was that Yami's face kept hovering at the front of his mind every time he closed his eyes. One time, he fell asleep on his textbook, and Yami's smirking face hovered in his vision briefly before he jerked awake.

Even though he was seeing less and less of Yami every week, Kaiba found himself thinking about Yami.  
Why?!

One morning, Kaiba was approached by a teacher who looked deeply concerned.

"Kaiba-kun," she began nervously, bobbing her head politely at him as she tried to catch his eye. "I'm concerned about your friend, Yami."

Kaiba felt his eyelid twitch when he heard this, and he straightened up, enjoying the fact that he was much taller, and resisted the urge to glare down at her.

Yami was his friend? Laughable.  
What was it this time?  
Was she here to comment about the way he kept wearing boots instead of the appropriate shoes?  
Or was she here to ask about changing the lock on the door to the roof again so that Yami would stop going up there to smoke? Because he would always somehow manage to steal a copy of the new key anyway. It was a pointless fight.

Lost in his internal monologue, Kaiba missed everything she had said, so he just stared at her stupidly, waiting for her to repeat herself.

"What do you think, Kaiba-kun?" she asked, sounding impatient as she nodded at several students passing them by in the hallway.

"I don't know," Kaiba answered lamely, edging away from her and glancing over her head in an attempt to exit the conversation, but he felt her reach out to touch his arm, and he froze, feeling increasingly more uncomfortable the longer she stood there staring up at him.

"Having the student body president standing beside me would really help," she said firmly, straightening up and smiling warmly at him, and Kaiba felt his chest tighten with anxiety.

How irritating! She was guilting him with responsibility!

"I'll help." Kaiba said gruffly, sidestepping her to walk down the hallway, hearing her call after him frantically.

"We're leaving now, Kaiba-kun! Please gather your things…unless you already know the way there!"

Kaiba blinked rapidly and cursed under his breath, finally understanding what she had asked of him.

They were going to make a house call.

* * *

Kaiba watched the teacher knock genially and tuck her hair behind her ears, and he shifted his bag from one hand to the other, feeling himself sweat.

He planted his feet firmly apart, trying to quell the frantic beating of his own heart as he stared at the tiny wreath nailed to the door. A small, beige ribbon trailed down the center of the delicate wreath and _"welcome home!"_ was printed on it in a thin,curly font.

This was Yami's house?! They were in an affluent neighborhood!

Yami didn't strike him as someone who came from a neat-looking house with white framed windows and flowery wreaths on the door.

Also, what the hell was taking them so long to answer the door?

"We'll be as polite as possible," the teacher reminded him sternly, and Kaiba nodded stiffly, totally uninterested.

The door swung open and a slender woman with short hair carrying a baby in her arms bowed nervously, glancing over their heads with an anxious expression.

"H-Hello…" she said nervously, shifting the child in her arms as she made eye contact with Kaiba, and Kaiba looked away pointedly, feeling his ears burning with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

He was making a fucking house call for that fucking delinquent. Yami had better show his damn face.

The teacher began speaking beside him, but Kaiba heard none of it as he stared at a tiny bird hopping along the edge of the pale blue fence that separated the town homes from one another.

Maybe Yami was tired of this life, and he wanted excitement, adventure…which was why he was always skipping class to smoke on the roof. He was right when he had said they didn't know each other's lives…

"Please come in!" Yami's mother said nervously, bowing them into the home as a clean-cut man wearing wire-framed glasses appeared at her side to lift the child out of her arms.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes at the man, wondering if he ought to be suspicious of him. He reminded himself that not everyone was as abusive as Gozaburo, but if he knew anything about anyone, looks were always deceiving.

"This is concerning…your son, Yami?" the teacher spoke quickly, lifting a manila folder out of her purse, and the man led them into a brightly-lit living room while burping the baby over his shoulder.

Kaiba eased himself down onto one of the soft beige couches and gripped his knees tightly, watching the man repeatedly rub the infant's back in gentle, soothing motions, while nodding nervously at the teacher, who was speaking quickly.

"His attendance records haven't been stellar…" she said carefully, shooting Kaiba a quick glance. "He doesn't follow the dress code, and his grades aren't terrible but…"

Kaiba zoned out again, inspecting the home around him with a sharp eye, wondering why everything looked so damn clean. He could see the corner of an elegant dining table peeking out from the other room, and the wall along the white carpeted staircase was decorated with tiny potted plants.

The woman appeared behind the couch, cradling another infant, looking stressed.

"We thought you were the police," she said anxiously, and her husband threw her a reassuring grimace over his shoulder. "Yami doesn't tend to come home very often…if he comes home at all."

There was a long silence before it was interrupted by a rush of light footsteps pattering down from the stairway, and Kaiba stared in shock at the toddler who was dragging an alphabet book at her side.

"MOMMY!" she cried, waving the book over her head, and the woman shushed her angrily, pointing at the baby in her arms.

"Your brother is sleeping! Inside voice…! What do you want, darling?"

"Read me!" she insisted, shaking the book in her tiny fists. "Daddy, read me!"

"Daddy is busy," the husband responded robotically, bobbing his head apologetically in Kaiba's direction. "You must be his friend. We've never met any of his friends before."

Kaiba grit his teeth, hearing his own blood rushing in his ears. How many children did this family have? He counted three so far. If another child came running down from upstairs, he wouldn't be surprised.

"I don't mean to be rude, but what is your home situation like?" the teacher asked delicately, her eyes darting between the babies in the parents' arms and at the third child who was tugging on the edge of the wife's skirt.

"We've been nothing but kind to him," the husband spoke up instantly, sounding defensive. "They did warn us about how children adopted at an older age would have issues bonding with us, but I assure you, we did everything right."

 _Clearly not everything,_ Kaiba thought sourly, watching the toddler storm off in a huff.

"We did everything right," the wife repeated coldly, sitting down quickly beside her husband as the baby in her arms began to fuss lightly. "But after I conceived naturally, we couldn't give him as much attention, but he was never a bad child. We gave him everything he needed!"

"I'm sorry, but, you won't find him here," the husband said quietly, looking guilty. "He stopped coming home so often, we've converted his room into a nursery for the twins."

"You converted his room?" Kaiba asked, unable to keep the anger out of his voice, and he felt the teacher tense beside him.

"No, no, he didn't want a room." the wife corrected, shifting the baby in her arms, looking extremely nervous. "He insisted on sleeping on a futon in the living room because I gave birth shortly after we adopted him! He said he felt like he was a burden!"

"So, you didn't give him a room because he was a burden." Kaiba said venomously, feeling his blood boil.

"He's welcome to _have_ a room anytime!" the husband insisted, shaking his head defensively. "If he ever shows his face at home…we've tried filing a report, but the authorities can't do much about it! At least he's still showing up at school."

"We're here because he is no longer showing up at school." the teacher said firmly, rising to her feet and bowing deeply.

Kaiba hastily followed suit, feeling slightly dizzy as he walked with her to the doorway, trying to quell the rush of guilt that bubbled up inside him.

"Please contact the school when you've located your son." the teacher said coldly, pulling open the door and striding out into the bright sunlight. "I'll come by again next month."

Kaiba followed her closely, his heart thudding loudly inside his chest as he slowly processed everything he had just witnessed.

It was neglect!

Yami's so-called parents threw him away the second they could conceive their own children.

"Ridiculous." Kaiba could hear the teacher muttering under her breath as she strode in front of him, stiffly adjusting her blouse.

She turned to him with a light grimace. "You know the way to the train station from here, Kaiba-kun. See you at school tomorrow."

Kaiba nodded silently and watched her walk away from him quickly, without turning around once, and he sighed, glancing over his shoulder, seeing the family draw their curtains shut over their tall, sparkling windows.

Despicable.

He slid his phone out to call his driver and paused, glancing up at the clear blue sky above him, seeing a few wispy clouds passing over his head. It was a nice day for a walk.

Gozaburo would murder him for coming home "late", but it would be worth it for some fresh air.

He strode down the street at a brisk pace, crossing the street and deciding to cut across a busy shopping intersection to save time.

The noise from the hustle and bustle was bringing on a small headache, and Kaiba gripped his bag tightly, intent on pushing through the crowded street, accidently bumping into a man holding a stack of flyers.

The man stumbled aside, struggling to keep the papers in his arms as half of the stack slid onto the street and were scattered underneath many pairs of shoes walking by.

Kaiba felt his eyelid twitch irritably and he stepped around the man, not intending to apologize.

"W-Wait! Young man!" the man called after him, sounding angry. "Don't be so cold! At least consider it for a moment! You'll make a lot of money!"

Kaiba grit his teeth tightly, pausing in his step, resisting the urge to shout at the man.

Did it look like he needed money?! How insulting.

Unable to stop himself, he turned to face the man, seeing him panting before him, red-faced and enthusiastic. "Your height is perfect! Here I was thinking you only looked good from the back! This is great. Say, you'll call me, won't you?"

The man pressed a shiny plastic business card into his palm and bowed happily, gazing unblinkingly up into his face, causing him to break out into a cold sweat.

W-What?

"With a face like yours, you could easily sign a contract with a luxury high-end brand!" the man declared loudly, and Kaiba flinched, curling his fingers around the card, his anxiety rising as several people stopped to stare.

"So, think about it," the man continued, sounding unperturbed to be holding a one-sided conversation with himself. "I know it's 'the dream' for you kids these days. See you! Call soon, okay?"

He made a phone sign to his ear and turned away to wave his flyers in the faces of a group of pretty schoolgirls.

Rolling his eyes, Kaiba set off down the street again, halfheartedly glancing down at the card in his palm, reading the bolded font across the surface.

 ** _\+ Toru "Loser" Ueda +_**

 ** _WHITE LINE – Modeling Agency Recruiter  
_** _on: 4_ _th_ _floor, Y & M Building #834_

main office: ** _09-9745-2211_** cell: ** _09-9201-8374_**

Kaiba shoved the card into his pocket without another thought and continued on his way.

* * *

 ** _A few months later_**

* * *

A heavily made-up woman clung tightly onto Yami's arm, and Yami was barely listening to a word she said as she rambled on in his ear about her neglectful husband.

He forced a smile and nodded at her politely, seeing her smile back widely. There was lipstick stuck to her teeth. Should he tell her?

She continued to chatter on, and Yami let his mind wander.

This was his highest paying client, so he had to make it seem as if he was present, but she was so self-absorbed, Yami wasn't sure if his reactions to her complaints mattered. He was pretty sure that she just needed another human to listen to her talk.

They continued down the street and made a turn, stepping onto the sandy pathway of downtown Domino Park with the glow of the lamps lighting either side, creating an oddly romantic mood.

This was fine, if this was what she wanted.  
Yami couldn't care less.

As long as she paid the full amount at the end of the night, his rent this month would be covered.

Suddenly, her grip tightened painfully on his elbow and Yami winced, hearing her let out a breathy shriek and point excitedly in front of them.

"It's him! It's him!" she cried, jutting up on her tiptoes and tottering precariously on her sky-high heels, using Yami as an anchor as she craned her head further to stare.

Yami followed her gaze and froze with shock, instantly recognizing the tall brunette male leaning casually against the water fountain in the center of the park.

Pop-up chairs were sitting along the path in a neat row, heavily laden with jackets, shirts, ties and shoes still sitting in their boxes.

Towering lightboxes were set up on metal stands in the surrounding area, and two men were bent over a computer, inspecting photos flashing across the screen while sitting on a small plastic table, and another man bounded excitedly around the fountain with a heavy camera pressed against his face.

He clicked the shutter furiously, the sound echoing sharply in the emptiness of the park, and his voice echoed loudly through the trees.

"Very good, Kaiba-kun! Let's have a smile." There was a pause, followed by more rapid shutter clicks. "And now, let's sit…sit sit, good good…sit…now stand…I want to see a mean smile. Yes! Just like that. Very mean, very good."

Yami curled his fists in his pockets, feeling himself cringe. Seto Kaiba, whoring himself out for a camera, it seemed.

"Seto Kaiba!" The woman on his arm echoed his thoughts exactly, still maintaining an iron-like grip on his elbow, and Yami was beginning to lose circulation in his fingers. "He's the face of Marimo! I own several editions with his face on it, and he's absolutely…"

Yami stopped listening.

 _Marimo, huh?_ he thought spitefully as images of preppy sweaters, pressed patterned shirts, leather belts, and brightly colored ties floated to the front of his mind.

Wasn't that a brand known mainly for its overpriced…everything?

Japanese people loved that brand for some reason, with many people comparing the quality to European luxury brands.

"I want him to sign something for me!" she squealed loudly, shaking his arm so violently, Yami felt his insides churn. "Do you know how young he is?! About your age, Yamazaki-san! Very young!"

Yami nodded stiffly, feeling his stomach curl at the way she used his host name so casually.  
The last thing he wanted was for Kaiba to hear that.  
The last thing he wanted was for Kaiba to know anything about him, or remember that he even existed.  
Their last encounter was on the roof of their highschool, and that was an unpleasant memory in itself.

Kaiba heard a female voice in the distance, and turned to throw her a smirk, barely able to make out two dark figures underneath the bright glare of the lights.  
He had attracted a fan! A fan who was out on a date with her boyfriend, no less.

"He SMILED AT ME!" she screamed, and Yami grit his teeth painfully, jerking away as his ear stung from the pitchy volume of her voice. "Come on, Yamazaki-san! I want him to sign something!"

Kaiba turned his attention back to his photographer, seeing him glare disapprovingly at him.

"Break!" the man snapped, looking irritated. "You can't work like this. Take care of your fan politely, and come back in five minutes."

Kaiba nodded silently and shrugged the blazer off, feeling himself sweat slightly as he stepped out of the lights and into the surrounding darkness, moving steadily towards the pop-up chairs and patting around them for a notebook and pen.

The woman rushed at him, the clopping of her heels extremely loud in the silent park.

Yami tensed and was dragged forward so suddenly, he barely had time to compose himself before he found himself standing against the backs of the pop-up chairs, watching Kaiba straighten up and look him full in the face.

 _Crap_ , Yami thought frantically, forcing his expression to remain emotionless as he watched Kaiba's eyes widen significantly.

Kaiba felt his fingertips growing numb as he gripped the tiny notepad tightly, his heart racing with anxiety as he instantly recognized the spiky-haired figure on the arm of this woman.

Yami.

"Yes, please sign! My name is Naomi!" the woman cried, and Kaiba blinked, snapping back to reality. He nodded and pressed the pen tip to the notebook, seeing his own hand shake.  
Wow.  
This was what Yami was doing?  
What was he…a male prostitute?  
This woman looked like she was in her late forties!  
He had dropped out of school to be…a fucking escort?!

Kaiba hastily wrote out an empty message for her before tearing out the page and handing it to her respectfully with both hands, bowing stiffly, feeling the heat of Yami's stare burning through the top of his scalp as he bent forward.

The silence was awkward as the woman gazed dreamily at the sheet of paper in her hand, and it suddenly hit Kaiba in that moment, that he owed everything he had up until this point…to Yami.

It was a deep debt. Yami had pulled him back over the rooftop fence when he slipped, and he wouldn't be where he was now, if Yami hadn't saved him.  
How embarrassing.  
Were thanks in order?

It felt like an eternity before Kaiba straightened up out of his bow, and Yami did his best not to make eye-contact, feeling himself sweat as he could feel Kaiba's eyes roaming slowly over his face.  
Recognized.  
Caught.  
Straight-laced, all-honors Seto Kaiba was putting everything together now in his mind. The notorious delinquent, Yami, had dropped out of school to be a whore…or something like that, right?

Yami smiled blandly, doing his best to appear unperturbed. "Thank you. Sorry for the trouble. We will be leaving now."

"Don't you want a sign too, Yamazaki-san?" she cried, giving Yami another rough shake, and Yami felt his eyelid twitch as his ears began to burn with deep humiliation.

"Yamazaki-san, is it?" Kaiba fumed, unsure of where his anger was stemming from as he stabbed the pen into the notebook and scribbled out a hasty message. "Thank you for your support."

And he tore the page out with a flourish and pressed it into Yami's hand, feeling his entire body heat up as his fingers grazed the back of Yami's hand. He gazed into Yami's face, seeing him blink steadily back at him, looking supremely disinterested.

D-Did Yami not recognize him?!

"Thanks…again." Yami hissed through clenched teeth, curling his fingers around the slip of paper, crumpling it and shoving it into his pocket furiously. "We're leaving, Nao-chan, come."

Nao- _chan?!_ Kaiba reeled, feeling the blood rush to his head as he bit back a sarcastic retort. _More like, Nao-Obaasan_ , he added spitefully in his head, watching the pair walk away slowly onto the dark pathway.

Yami's blood was boiling as his client chatted non-stop in his ear while they made their way through the park. That was horrific. The fucking worst.

He could've sworn Kaiba was laughing at him on the inside, and what's more, he seemed to glow underneath the camera lights, like he was some kind of heavenly deity.  
Maybe it was the make-up, or maybe it was just his ego.

If he ever saw that pretty-boy again, Yami swore he would punch his lights out, so that the " _face of Marimo_ " would be sorely bruised and unable to model anymore.

"Aw…our night is over!" she lamented dramatically, leaning her head on his shoulder, and Yami tried his best not to flinch. Now came the part he dreaded the most. She would continuously offer to sleep with him in a terribly pushy way, and every single time, he would have to come up with a creative way to politely say no.

"Yamazaki-san…" she pouted heavily, swinging playfully on his arm as they neared the drop-off location. "You know, you're my favorite. I would take care of you."

"I know, you are my favorite too." Yami said hastily, knowing that sleeping with a client was a sure-fire way of losing his job and his dignity.

If he complied once, all his other clients would request this service of him too.

She pouted at him again, and Yami shook her off lightly, giving her a friendly wave over his shoulder. He was fully aware that there were other hosts who would willingly sleep with clients off the record and under the table, but he was not one of them.

"Next week, same time, Yamazaki-san! You're the best!" she cried, waving energetically, and Yami did his best to smile warmly back at her.  
Rent money secured for this month.  
And the next, it seemed. He was safe, for now.

Kicking the pavement irritably, he tried to shake off the cold, blue-eyed stare he had received from Kaiba earlier.

 _Oh, right, the note,_ Yami recalled, and he pulled it out of his pocket, un-wrinkling it slowly and leaning against a lamp post for light, squinting at the tiny, neat handwriting.

 _"Yamazaki-san, is it?_

 _We need to talk._

 _82-9746-80344_

 _CALL or I find you."_

 _A threat, really?!_ Yami thought angrily, crinkling the note again and tossing it into a nearby garbage can. Kaiba really hadn't changed. It had only been six months. What the hell did that guy want anyway? To yell at him for dropping out of school?

 _As if I would willingly subject myself to a lecture like that!_ Yami growled spitefully to himself, giving the trashcan a violent kick as he continued down the dark street, trying to stomach the anger and jealousy that was rising up inside his chest.

Of course Seto Kaiba would go on to become an angelic golden boy.

The face of Marimo.  
 _Kira kira*_ and all that bullshit.

Marimo models usually went on to become mega-stars on runways overseas, or they became popular heart-throbs in seasonal dramas, or they started their own brands featuring their own pretty faces everywhere.

It was nauseating, but people loved the brand and ate it up every time a new model was presented, and it seemed like Kaiba was next in line.

How fitting.

Sighing to himself, Yami shoved his hands into his pockets and ground his teeth, hurrying past several dark shops with bars over their windows. This was a bad area to be in alone at night.

He heard harsh voices coming from an alleyway in front of him, and he quickened his pace, aiming to pass hastily.

It sounded like a fight or a drug deal…neither of which he wanted to be caught in the middle of.

Kaiba was caught in the middle of it.

He was surrounded by five thugs, dressed sharply in black and white suits, and he forced himself to remain silent. Yakuza? Or….

His shoulder was slammed into the brick wall behind him and it chafed painfully. Kaiba hissed and leaned into it, aiming to look hurt.  
What the fuck did these men want? Had he pissed off the Yakuza somehow?

He was outnumbered five to one, and he could fight back…but he wouldn't come out of it unscathed.  
They were all burly, and matched him in height. It seemed like this was an organized assault team of sorts.

"A pretty-boy! I think I recognize him!" one of the men leered, his fist curling into his collar and yanking him forward, his foul breath washing over him terribly, and Kaiba resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose.  
No emotion, no fight.  
No emotion, no altercation…nothing his attackers could take offense to.

"Yes, he's…what's his name? Ah… _Seto Kaiba_." another man snickered, poking a finger into his cheek. "Rich…and pretty. What a nice combo!"

Kaiba flinched and held his ground.

His contract strictly forbade him from getting into fights in general, because his face was his most prized asset at the moment, and Kaiba couldn't stomach what would happen to him if he fucked it up for himself.

Narrowly escaping Gozaburo's home was something he had managed only by the skin of his teeth, with the help of some sheer luck and skating by on his looks.

"My girlfriend has your face as the background of her phone." A third man spat on the ground by his shoe, and Kaiba swallowed thickly, forcing himself to remain still.  
No reaction. Do not react. Do not encourage…

"Do you know…how much I _hate_ looking at your face whenever she turns her phone on to check the time?" the man hissed, pressing his forearm into Kaiba's neck, and Kaiba stiffened and held his breath, his heart pounding ferociously in his chest.  
He had to protect his face at all costs.  
He could lose a finger, an arm, a leg…it didn't matter.  
Anything but his face.

He was pushed into the wall again and a knee was shoved sharply into his stomach, knocking the breath out of him in a painful _whoosh!_ and Kaiba coughed, leaning steadily against the wall for support.

Fuck…fuck.

If his face was damaged from this altercation…he would be just short of losing…everything, and his attackers seemed to know this.

"Which side should we cut first? Let's carve him a smile, like the Joker! Because this guy is a fucking joke." a fourth voice came from his left, uncomfortably close to his ear, and Kaiba stared straight ahead, feeling himself waver. He would keep his pride rather than respond to their threats.

"Let's beat him first, so much that he's unrecognizable." the fifth man declared, and Kaiba repressed a tight shiver of adrenaline. This man seemed to be the one in charge.

His eyes darted around frantically, searching for the most passive exit and finding none. He was surrounded, so charging out of this situation headfirst would only get him killed faster.

"Yeah, yeah!" the men chorused, cracking their knuckles excitedly. "Then we'll take a picture for her to see how her how pretty you look after we're done with you."

Yami passed the mouth of the alleyway and heard the word 'pretty'.

"Who wants first swing?" the leader asked gleefully, draping his arm thickly around Kaiba's shoulders and holding him down tightly in a choke-hold. "Should it be me? What say you, pretty-boy?"

Kaiba dug his fingertips into the man's sleeve, cursing internally as he realized he had missed his window for escape. He shut his eyes and gave the man's arm a forceful tug, hearing a burst of taunting laughter and leers.

"He's trying to get away…look how pathetic!" a voice cried from above him, and vicious laughter stung his ears again.

"I want first swing."

Kaiba struggled to breathe, his chest tightening with hope at the familiar voice.

The arm around his neck tightened and he was swung downwards heavily, still stuck in the painful head-lock of the burly leader.

"Who's there?!" the man shouted hoarsely, and Kaiba winced, his vision slowly turning green as his lungs were bursting for air.

Yami. Again.

"It's me," Yami said calmly, his heart racing frantically as he saw five vaguely familiar faces, all looking red-in-the-face drunk and very hostile. "Yo. Angel, what's up?"

 _Angel?_ Kaiba choked, thinking this man looked like the farthest thing from an angel he had ever seen, and he patted the man's arm angrily but was ignored.

"You want to have fun with us, Chibi?" the man called Angel sneered, and Kaiba felt faint. His ears were ringing and his vision was fading. Chibi?! How many fucking nicknames did Yami have?

"It's not fun with all of you involved." Yami said cleverly, eyeing the growling men and seeing Kaiba's light brown hair hanging forwards down across his handsome face, and he willed himself to feel nothing.

"This guy used to give me detention like it was his only hobby." Yami said loftily, leaning against the wall, hiding his nervousness when he saw Kaiba's fingers twitch in response.

"Well, good thing I don't go to your school, pretty-boy!" Angel jeered, giving Kaiba another vicious shake, and Kaiba felt his world spin horribly. "I'd beat your face in every day if we went to the same school."

"Give him to me." Yami suggested, smirking as nastily as he could. "I'll have some… _fun_ with him, but you can't be involved unless you want to be charged for assault."

There was a long silence, and Kaiba felt the arm around his neck loosen suddenly, and all the cold air came rushing back into his lungs painfully as his vision turned red and green at the same time.

Bracing himself against the wall, Kaiba pressed a hand to his chest, gasping for breath as his knees grew weak.

Damn it all to hell.

Saved by Yami…again.

How many fucking debts did he owe this delinquent?

"Oh…you sure about that, Chibi?" the leader said uncertainly, and all five men backed down the alleyway, suddenly sounding very fearful. "That's a little…"

"He's graduating in a few months." Yami said evilly, reaching out to grab Kaiba by the arm and giving him a rough shove, pressing a hand to his chest and keeping him upright against the wall, knowing he was on the verge of passing out. "I'm going to give him a graduation present he'll never forget."

Yami could feel Kaiba's pounding heartbeat underneath his palm, and he felt himself break out into a cold sweat.

If these men called his bluff, they would want to stick around to watch him…assault Kaiba, and maybe even take a video to pass around for laughs.

There were many illegal things he would do, but Yami was sure that assault was not one of them, and certainly not on a fellow ex-classmate, however pretty he was.

"Okay, Chibi, whatever you say." the leader said nervously as three of the men in his group turned and shuffled away, their footsteps sounding frantic and eager to leave the scene. "Come have a smoke with us under the bridge afterwards, hm?"

"I think I'll be busy…all night." Yami hissed, patting Kaiba's chest twice, and feeling Kaiba tense mightily.

Kaiba rubbed his neck gingerly as he watched the remaining men flip them the finger and make an obscene sex gesture before hurrying off down the alleyway.

"Let's get out of here, now!" Yami hissed, tightening his grip around Kaiba's arm and leading him out to the street, feeling himself tremble with the residual rush of adrenaline.

Was Kaiba an idiot?! What the hell was he doing hanging around this area alone?

"Fuck." Kaiba growled, his skin burning from the heat of Yami's hand, and he stared at the spiky mass of red and black hair in front of him, feeling a rush of gratitude. "Thanks."

Yami let go of Kaiba's arm and whirled around furiously, glaring. "Top of your class, and you're walking around alone in this area. Are you asking to die?"

"So you _do_ remember me… _Yamazaki-san_." Kaiba said furiously, adjusting his shirt and belt, feeling as if he had been violated. "I need to repay you. I hate being in your debt."

"You don't owe me anything!" Yami insisted through clenched teeth, thinking that Kaiba owed him his entire sparkly life. "Do yourself a favor, and just die properly next time."

And he turned away angrily to stalk off, but a restraining hand on his shoulder held onto him tightly and Yami stiffened, unsure of how to react as Kaiba grabbed onto him and fell into step beside him, sounding anxious.

"I need to repay you. Somehow, in any way." Kaiba said desperately, feeling despair rising quickly in his chest as Yami continued to ignore him. "How about a ride? To the station?"

"All the trains have stopped." Yami answered dully, keeping his gaze ahead and feeling his ears burn with a strange heat. Oh look, Kaiba was attempting to be nice. This ought to be entertaining.

"Then, a ride back to your house." Kaiba said as he reached out to grab Yami's arm again, and to his surprise, Yami stopped walking and turned to face him, smiling wryly.

"Fine. I accept." Yami nodded, hoping this would end their interaction for good. If Kaiba repaid him, then he would have no reason to talk or keep in contact anymore.

That was probably the reason for the phone number on the paper, Yami mused as he watched Kaiba gesture for him to follow.

He hung back a few steps and stared at Kaiba's tall frame walking in front of him.  
A few steps behind.  
He was always a few steps behind this man, no matter what the situation was.

Even though he had just saved Kaiba from a possible career-ending situation, Kaiba always somehow stayed at the top, with luck, grace, and his damn good looks.  
It was unfair.

"Here." Kaiba said curtly, pressing a button on his keys and hovering by a white two-door sports car. "Get in."

Yami complied and tugged the door open, sinking begrudgingly down into the leather seat and feeling the engine roar to life. He stared at the shiny lights on the dashboard and felt his chest tighten strangely. A fancy car…for his fancy life, to match his fancy personality in his fancy world.

The monthly payments on this car probably cost three times his rent.

The distance between them was real, even though they were almost sitting elbow-to-elbow in the car.

Kaiba tightened his grip on the wheel while his mind was bursting with questions, but the main question was...

"You weren't really going to assault me, were you?" Kaiba said before he could stop himself, and he heard a deep chuckle in response.

"What do you think, Mr. Top Student?" Yami replied mockingly, unable to bring himself to sound nice. He had always felt a tight resentment for Kaiba, and now, while sitting in his shiny car, he knew why.

Kaiba was just…better than him, at life, at everything. And he hated it. He hated being reminded of it.

"Can we drop the nicknames?" Kaiba hissed, clenching his jaw as they stopped at a red light. He was waiting for directions from Yami, but Yami seemed perfectly content to continue arguing with him.

"Call me _Yamazaki-san_ one more damn time, and you'll learn a real lesson." Yami growled, gripping his knees tightly and wishing he had hit Kaiba at least once in that alleyway.

"Sure thing…Chibi." Kaiba retorted, biting his tongue as he felt the corners of his mouth turning upwards. Oh fuck. Why was he always picking a fight with this guy?!

He made a turn down a familiar street and felt his palms sweat against the leather of his steering wheel.

Yami hissed and bit the tip of his tongue, feeling a rush of anger. "Stop the car and get out, so I can hit you in the face, because I've just figured out how you can repay me."

"You can hit me anywhere except my face." Kaiba shot back frantically, stopping in front of the garage in his apartment complex and pressing another button on his keys, watching the metal gate rise slowly.

Yami blinked and sat very still in his seat, stunned.  
Wait. What was this place?  
He had neglected to give directions while they were bantering, and now Kaiba seemed to have driven them…to his home?!

Speechless, Yami began to feel nervous as Kaiba pulled into a reserved parking space and got out of the car, giving the roof a few rough knocks. "Get the fuck out of my car."

Yami hurriedly climbed out and slammed the door behind him, glancing around the garage with contained panic. He had also failed to keep track of which street they had driven down, but this was clearly a very wealthy area of Domino City. Other shiny cars with foreign badges were parked alongside them, and Yami couldn't help but stare.

"Since you didn't give me directions, I'm going to assume you're homeless." Kaiba said nastily, locking his car with a solid click and walking towards a door at the far end of the garage. "You don't look bad for someone who hasn't showered in months."

"Fuck you." Yami said icily, following Kaiba into the building and through a long, brightly lit hallway decorated with plush, potted plants. He was at a loss for an insult, so he decided to dredge up the past again.

"I've been meaning to ask you…what did your suicide note say, Mr. Top Student?" Yami asked innocently, seeing Kaiba's hand clench into a fist as he punched the up button on the elevator panel.

"None…of your fucking business." Kaiba hissed anxiously, knowing full well that Yami would laugh in his face if he knew. It was a simple farewell and fuck-you letter to Gozaburo, and he would go to any lengths to keep the abuse extremely private.

If people knew, he would be over, as a model, and as himself.

"Seen the inside of a textbook recently, or have you lost the ability to read?" Kaiba shot back lamely, seeing the elevator doors open, and he strode inside quickly, eager to distance himself from Yami.

"Oh you're angry, Mr. Perfect!" Yami goaded, stepping into the elevator with Kaiba and accidently bumping elbows with the man inside.

The woman on his arm gasped and Yami froze, recognizing that gasp.

"Yamazaki-san!" his client cried, pressing a manicured hand to her mouth as her eyes darted between him and Kaiba, her cheeks slowly reddening with embarrassment as her husband's face turned equally as red, but with anger.

"YOU!" the man hissed, lunging at Yami and grabbing him roughly by the shirt, ramming him painfully back against the elevator wall, and Yami let out a cry as the metal railing bruised his back.

"Let go of him! He's just a friend! We're not dating!" the woman shrieked, and Kaiba felt himself grow light-headed. Was this a double nightmare?! It was one fight after another! Somehow, Yami's chaos had been brought into his hemisphere.

"Yeah?!" the man shouted, turning purple as he swelled with rage, raising his fist threateningly and jerking his head towards Kaiba. "What about _him?_ This guy's face is all over your computer screen and your magazines."

Yami froze in a moment of disbelief when he heard this, and the man's fist narrowly missed his cheek as Kaiba swung out at the man and punched him solidly in the mouth, just as the elevator came to a gentle stop.

Deeply shocked, Yami clutched the railing for support as his back ached and stung. He watched Kaiba frantically stab at the 'door close' button on the elevator panel, looking absolutely livid.

The man stumbled out of the elevator and his wife followed quickly while crying hysterically, "Oh my god! My love! My angel! Are you okay?! He hit you! You hit him!" She whirled around to face Kaiba, and her husband shoved her aside roughly, leaning heavily against the elevator doors and keeping them apart, preventing them from closing.

"I'll sue you! I'll fucking sue you for hitting me, you scumbag!" The man shouted, making sure his voice echoed down the hallway, and heads were beginning to poke out from behind closed doors. "And you!" he pointed furiously at Yami with a shaking finger. "I'll sue you for stealing my wife!"

Kaiba tensed and curled his fingers into his palm, ready to strike out again. He was tired of being pushed around for the night, and this man was the last straw.

"Back the fuck off!" Kaiba hissed angrily, throwing out the first careless statement that came to mind. "This is my boyfriend, and there is no way he would date a woman…much less a married woman."

Yami felt his jaw drop and he quickly closed it, his eyes watering with a mixture of pain and incredulity.

 _Wh-What?!_

"Isn't that right, boyfriend?" Kaiba asked viciously, whirling around to glare at Yami, seeing him nod vigorously, clearly still in a lot of pain from being shoved against the metal railing.

"I-I'm so…gay," Yami managed weakly, catching a horrified expression plastered on his client's face. "Can't stop…thinking about you…Model-san."

Well, there goes rent money for next week.  
And the entire job, probably.

"Then what the hell were you doing with my wife?!" the man asked loudly, reaching for his phone and tapping on a picture, showing a blurry photo of a spiky-haired individual with the woman on his arm. "I hired a private detective to follow you two, because I knew she was cheating on me!"

Kaiba winced at the man's volume, his anxiety rising higher while the elevator began chiming loudly, indicating the doors had been held open for too long.

"We were shopping, my love!" the woman cried, clinging onto the man's arm and gazing adoringly into his face. "Did you see the lovely coat I bought yesterday? He helped me pick it out…for you!"

"Yeah, there's your proof, now let go of the door." Kaiba said coldly, thumping his fist down onto the man's fingers, but the man held his ground, still leaning against the beeping elevator doors, clearly unconvinced.

"No!" the man insisted furiously, shaking his head. "I need proof that you're gay! This is all lies!"

"It's true! It's all true!" his wife shrieked, tugging on her husband's arm and attempting to pull him away from the elevator door. "I've seen it with my own eyes! I can tell you all about it…at home!"

"I need to see it with _my_ own eyes." the man said coldly, his beady eyes darting hungrily between Kaiba and Yami, sensing a rising panic. "Go on. Kiss each other. Mr. Model and…the man who is not dating my wife. Go ahead."

"Okay, watch closely, you fuck." Kaiba growled, shoving his foot into the man's groin and sending him stumbling back once again.

He turned around to grab Yami and pulled him close by wrapping an arm around his waist, catching a look of pure surprise flitting across his face, causing his lips to part, and Kaiba wasted no time, bending down to press his lips tightly onto Yami's and kissing him deeply, feeling Yami tense before softening into the kiss.

Yami blinked rapidly as he was assaulted by too many sensations at once.

The shrill beeping of the elevator doors was ringing in his ears as the warmth from Kaiba's lips traveled up and down his entire body, causing his toes to tingle, his knees to weaken, and a hot breath filled his lungs.

Kaiba's lips were…so soft! And he tasted…so sweet!  
This was wonderful!  
No, this was terrible!  
Then why did it feel wonderful?!

Kaiba's lips were still pressed tightly against his as the elevator doors slid shut, and Yami swore he saw matching looks of shock and horror from the man and his wife out of the corner of his eye.

Mustering all of his strength, Yami gave Kaiba a rough shove, and they broke apart breathlessly.

Yami pressed a knuckle to his teeth, feeling his lips burn and sting with a strange sensation as he caught a dazed look sitting on Kaiba's face.

"You could've punched him again!" Yami cried angrily, feeling so hot, he could've sworn his skin was on fire. "Where was that version of you when we were in the alleyway?"

"That's _one guy,_ a stranger, versus five gangsters, who go to our rival school!" Kaiba shot back, resisting the urge to shout as the elevator stopped on his floor. "Who the hell is that woman?!"

The doors slid open again with a soft ding. Everything was now oddly calm and quiet, but Kaiba was raging furiously on the inside with a mixture of confusion and arousal.

"This is how you repay me?" Yami barreled over Kaiba's question, unwilling to answer it without a fight. "Assaulting me in an elevator? Punching a man in front of his wife?!"

"I got you out of a fight, so consider us even!" Kaiba said stiffly, striding down the hallway and ignoring Yami's venomous comments. "And you live with me now, _boyfriend_ , so keep up appearances until that man sees you coming and going from my apartment."

"I am not a live-in boyfriend!" Yami protested and was unable to keep the mirth out of his voice as he suddenly felt like bursting with laughter. What a horrible and yet hilarious turn of events. Was Kaiba being serious?!

"Whatever." Kaiba rolled his eyes and tapped a keycard against the lock and leaned the door open to his apartment, gesturing for Yami to step inside quickly. "Hurry up, before someone else sees you and thinks that their wife is cheating on them with you."

"No." Yami said firmly, standing his ground in the hallway, catching a glimpse of luxurious white leather furniture behind Kaiba's elbow. "I am going home."

"Fine. Find your own way back." Kaiba said, acting as if he was about to close the door. "Hope that man doesn't see you walking out of the lobby, and reports you for assault. And I hope _Angel_ doesn't ask you for details of your assault."

He saw Yami blink, and he shut the door, seeing an arm thrust in through the crack at the last moment and push back with force.

"Fine…fuck you, Mr. Perfect. I stay one night." Yami growled, leaning his weight against the door as he felt Kaiba pushing back with equal force, now keen on keeping him out. "Let me in."

"No," Kaiba answered gleefully, feeling the blood rush to his head so suddenly he felt dizzy. "I think all my debts to you have been repaid. Take your chances out on the street with Angel and his friends."

Yami let out a low growl and Kaiba waited a few seconds before leaning away from the door and letting Yami shove his way into his apartment. Cute.

"Take off your fucking shoes, you brute." Kaiba snorted, "the carpet is fucking expensive." And he watched Yami kick his shoes off and throw them towards his head.

He ducked and they hit the door behind his head with two solid thumps.

"Where is your shower, I reek." Yami said emptily, gazing around the spacious loft, taking in the night view from beyond the tall glass windows and marble kitchen counters.

"I didn't know you knew what a shower was," Kaiba taunted, unable to stop himself, and he caught a contemptuous look from Yami over his shoulder.

"You better have beer or some kind of alcohol on this table when I come out." Yami commanded, pointing at the glass coffee table in the middle of the living room before striding into the bathroom and slamming the door shut with an echoing bang.

"I don't want a noise complaint! Stop slamming the doors around!" Kaiba called, hearing another violet bang on the door in response.

He smirked and glanced around his room, feeling oddly light. Well…that was an eventful night.

Now…alcohol, as Yami had requested. Then after this, his debts would finally be repaid.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

AYEE WHADDUP MY CUTIES.  
UGLI IS HERE WITH A FLARESHIP.

This is a school-life type of story, what do you think?

First, it'll be prideshipping (yami x kaiba) with eventual flareshipping (yami x kaiba x yugi)

There is gonna be some threesome sex, lots of drama along with some twists and turns….

Okay?  
No likey  
no reeedy  
no flamie  
no complainie,  
please and thankies.

This fic will update every week? (find me on tumblr uglifish or on discord ugli#7509 for more info!)

And this fic miiight have shorter chapters while I figure out how to pace this story properly? Biiig question mark.

HAPPY SUMMER EVERYONE! (im melting)

leave a reviewwww bitchiieesss!

 **footnotes:**

1, obaasan = directly translated from Japanese, means old lady/grandma or auntie.

2, kira kira = directly translated from Japanese, means sparkly sparkly.)

and as always, a huge thanks to editor, YLJE for breathing life into me via virtual CPR, + eternal friendship, and for her ability to edit like the wind. Whoosh.

XOXOXOX  
Ugli


	2. Chapter 2

Yami stepped out of the bathroom and draped the towel around his neck, feeling refreshed.

Being in the host club all afternoon, surrounded by various perfumes and colognes, was nauseating, and he hated walking around smelling like a bad batch of scents gone bad.

He spied Kaiba sitting on the floor beside the glass coffee table, and saw that it was covered with various bottles of beer and expensive looking wine.

He wasn't going to risk Kaiba coming back to him saying he owed him something for drinking his expensive liquor.

"I don't drink shit that costs more than my rent." Yami said mildly, swinging his legs over the back of the white leather couch and earning himself a cold, blue-eyed glare.

"Feet off the leather." Kaiba said automatically, thinking this was why he never invited anyone over into his apartment.

Yami slid onto the floor and flung the towel aside carelessly, grabbing a beer and twisting the cap off expertly to take a long swig, enjoying the refreshing taste.

Kaiba watched the towel soar through the air and land on the armrest of his couch, and he felt his eyelid twitch. This guy…was getting too comfortable!

"Okay. Talk." Yami said shortly, setting the beer down with a clink. "I'm getting bored. Or turn on the TV so I don't have to hear you talk."

There was an awkward silence as Kaiba popped the cap off his beer and set it aside nervously. He had nothing to say! He had already said all his insults in the car and elevator.

Then…maybe he ought to try asking a more personal question. Yami had always been a fucking mystery to him since they'd met.

"Where do you live?" Kaiba asked carefully, seeing Yami tap the glass angrily with a slender index finger.

"You're not drinking." Yami said evasively, taking another long gulp and setting the bottle down.

"Alcohol…will ruin my skin." Kaiba answered testily as he stared at Yami's beer, not at all surprised to see that Yami had almost finished it.

"You can't live a little, can you?" Yami said, sounding disgusted, and he reached for his second bottle, feeling oddly disgruntled.

"I _can_ drink, but I don't want to," Kaiba insisted, shaking his head irritably. "There's nothing in my contract that says I can't, but I have to maintain my appearance—"

"Please, shut up." Yami rolled his eyes and took a light gulp, thinking this was no fun at all. Who knew that Seto Kaiba kept up his golden-boy act behind closed doors?

They sat in silence for a while longer, and Kaiba decided to take a sip. One drink wouldn't kill him; he would just have to do a cleanse for the rest of the damn week.

Yami smirked cruelly as he watched Kaiba throw back half the beer before stopping.

"Continue." Yami encouraged coldly, and Kaiba gazed directly into Yami's angular violet eyes, feeling himself heat up as he took another swig and set the bottle down, hoping that would appease him. His tolerance was low, and he didn't have the drinking habits of a delinquent.

"Now I'll answer your question." Yami said, feeling satisfied as he stared at the thin line of alcohol left at the bottom of Kaiba's bottle. Maybe if he got Mr. Top Student drunk enough, he wouldn't remember anything he said in the morning anyway.

"I live down 42nd street, and it's a three-story house." Yami said, watching Kaiba's eyes widen, and he quickly added, "I share it with six other people. Two people per room."

Kaiba frowned deeply, his chest tightening with concern. "What kind of trashy halfway house are you living in?" And he lifted the bottle to his lips to finish off the last of his beer.

"They're all students," Yami growled, reaching for his third drink and cracking the top off with effort. "I live in the garage."

Kaiba felt himself choke slightly and he forced himself to remain composed.

"It gets cold in the winter months, but I have a portable heater," Yami continued all matter-of-factly, clearly unaware of Kaiba's distress at this news. "I only need a place to sleep, and I'm not using the room most of the time anyway, so I rented my room out."

Kaiba sat quietly in stunned silence and gripped his bottle tightly, trying not to feel a mixture of pity and concern. If he remembered correctly, Yami's foster parents were still offering a room for him. Should he bring that up?

"I'm not even going to try going back to the people who were supposed to be my parents." Yami said bluntly, taking a light swig and feeling pleasantly warm all over. The alcohol was kicking in, finally.

There was another long silence and Kaiba finally found his voice.

"Your parents are worried about you."

"No, they're not," Yami hissed, gripping his bottle so tightly, the tips of his fingers turned white. "They hate me, and they regret having ever met me."

"I met them." Kaiba said plainly, seeing Yami jerk his head up to stare at him in shock. "Yeah. Miyamoto-sensei roped me into a house call to check on you."

"Great. Bet they loved you." Yami answered sarcastically, and he furiously chugged the last of his beer, and thunking the bottle down on the glass table with more force than was necessary.

"I'm trying to say that they don't hate you." Kaiba pressed, seeing Yami open another bottle and set it down in front of him ostentatiously with a glare.

"Drink." Yami commanded irritably, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of his eyes. "They do hate me, because they caught me…" and his voice trailed off uncharacteristically.

Kaiba blinked and waited for Yami to continue speaking, but he was met with another violet glare and the beer bottle was pushed underneath his nose.

"Drink!" Yami insisted, feeling oddly singled out. If he was going to be spilling dark secrets while drunk, it was better if Mr. Perfect was drunk too.

Kaiba slowly wrapped his fingers around the bottle and obediently took a sip, sneaking another glance at Yami and taking another sip before setting it down.

Damn, this was like some odd game where the criminal was making the policeman drink for crimes he didn't do.

"Now you tell me," Yami said, picking up as if nothing had happened, and he waved a hand around at their surroundings, "What the hell is all of this? Don't you live in the…Kaiba mansion?"

"That arrangement didn't work out." Kaiba said stiffly, feeling himself grow cold all over as memories of clammy hands against his skin made his intestines curl. "So I moved out."

"Obviously." Yami sneered, tapping the glass with his nail again. "Drink! And tell me why."

Kaiba felt anger curling in his chest as he rounded off his second drink and felt mildly numb all over. Fine. This was fine.  
He could tell Yami about the abuse.  
Maybe Yami would be too drunk to remember this in the morning.  
And they weren't friends, so there wasn't any strange pressure to lie.

"I would wake up…" Kaiba felt his throat closing up as he spoke, and Yami's intense gaze made his skin itch strangely.

There was another long silence and Yami sighed, pressing a palm to his cheek and keeping his gaze fixed on Kaiba's face, studying him closely.

The distress was clearly visible across his handsome features and Yami shifted uncomfortably, crossing and uncrossing his legs, thinking he had uncovered something deeply disturbing about Kaiba.

"I would wake up," Kaiba tried again, and found that his voice had returned once he commanded Yami's full attention. "And his hands would be underneath my clothes."

Yami blinked and felt himself grow cold all over. This was why…Kaiba had tried to jump off the roof. It was beginning to make sense.

"But that's it, right?" Yami asked gruffly, mindlessly drinking to keep his mind off the guilt he was feeling. He had been cruel to Kaiba about the suicide, and now he felt extremely bad about it.

"Yeah, that's it, if that's what you want to hear." Kaiba answered vaguely, and he waited for another terrible flashback to assault his senses, but there was nothing.

He let out a sigh and took a deep gulp of his drink, staring at the empty bottle in his hand and feeling lightheaded.

Yami's cheeks were wonderfully pink, and he looked fairly drunk.

"I've always…hated you," Yami began, and Kaiba let out a barking laugh, hearing his own voice echo around the apartment. He knew that.

"It's not that funny." Yami said, disgruntled, taking another long drink from yet another bottle he opened. "I hate you because you're unreachable."

Kaiba was always the top of their class, surrounded by the prettiest girls, and somehow always managed to be successful no matter how dreary the situation.

Kaiba smirked, thinking Yami had it backwards.

"I'm unreachable?!" he echoed incredulously, reaching for another beer, and seeing Yami pass him the half-finished bottle. He accepted it graciously and took a light sip, enjoying the bubbly feeling trickling down the back of his throat.

"You're always defying the dress code, and disappearing from final exams, but somehow still passing? I hate you for being able to do that." Kaiba said stiffly, wrinkling his nose at the memory.

Yami had always somehow skated by on the thinnest of margins, doing the least amount of work for "passable" results. He was even feared by the teachers! One didn't amass that type of aura without some effort.

"I don't hate you that much though," Yami said drowsily, leaning his head down on the table as his body felt heavy. "I envy and admire you…to an extent."

Kaiba pressed his cheek down on the table, letting the cool surface seep into his skin. "I envy you too…" he said, barely able to keep his eyes open. Ah…this felt good. He hadn't drunk in a while, and it was nice to feel this wonderful…floating feeling.

Yami inched closer towards Kaiba and stared at him from across the table, reaching out to brush a strand of light brown hair away from the bridge of his nose, seeing his eyelids flutter, and his heart pounded excitedly in his chest.

Kaiba held Yami's gaze steadily, feeling himself warming up pleasantly. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the way Yami's eyes roamed across his face; it all felt oddly familiar.

Yami swallowed dryly as he fixated on Kaiba's lips, and he forced himself to look away as his cheeks burned with embarrassment. Seto Kaiba was pretty, he wasn't going to lie to himself.

Kaiba watched Yami blink silently back at him, and he felt a surge of something odd rise up in his chest, causing his heart to skip beats.

Attraction.

Attraction? But, towards…Yami?

Frowning, Kaiba studied every curve along the edge of Yami's jaw, finding that his eyes kept sliding down towards a pair of curved lips, and his chest burned at the thought of kissing him.

It was definitely attraction. Yami wouldn't refuse him, right? After all, he was Seto Kaiba. No one could refuse him, not with his looks.

"Hey, come here," Kaiba said sleepily, patting the spot beside him, and he watched Yami hesitate before inching around the table to sit beside him, looking apprehensive.

"I want to try something…" he said, leaning forward slowly and feeling Yami freeze up as he pressed his lips tightly against Yami's and stayed there, feeling an indescribable warmth wash over him as their lips met.

Yami's breath hitched in his throat and he blinked rapidly for a moment before closing his eyes and leaning into the kiss, feeling Kaiba's mouth moving wonderfully over his. Kaiba's sweet breath doused with alcohol was overpowering his senses, and Yami could feel himself melting, his body relaxing wonderfully as Kaiba pulled him close.

Kaiba paused in his motions, startled at how soft Yami's lips were against his, and he pulled away quickly, trying to quell the rapid pounding of his heart as he watched Yami lean closer, smiling mischievously.

"You should see your face," Yami smirked, feeling extremely lightheaded as the room swayed in his vision, but Kaiba's shocked expression was crystal clear.

At a loss for words, Kaiba looked away quickly and tried to quell the heat rising to his cheeks when suddenly, he felt an odd weight fall heavily onto his chest, and he glanced down to see a mass of spiky hair under his chin.

"Hey," Kaiba said uncertainly, giving Yami's shoulder a firm push and receiving no response. "Hey!"

Frowning, Kaiba gave Yami another rough shake, biting back an annoyed groan as he watched Yami remain motionless. Great. Just fucking great.

Just then without warning, Yami sat up quickly and grinned, pointing obnoxiously in his face, laughing. "You're so angelic, you won't take advantage of a drunk person!"

"Are you drunk?" Kaiba growled, glaring ferociously at Yami, who was still laughing heartily at him. Yami seemed one hundred percent sober.

"No, do I seem drunk?" Yami shot back icily, reaching for the last beer on the table, only to see it whisked away at his fingertips by a long, outstretched arm.

"You've had enough." Kaiba said stiffly, feeling the liquid slosh heavily in the bottle as he held it out of reach, and Yami lunged at him, clambering roughly over his legs, growling angrily.

They wrestled roughly for the beer, and Yami elbowed Kaiba in the chest, his fingers slipping on the neck of the bottle as Kaiba rolled over onto his stomach in pain. The air left his lungs in a sudden whoosh as Yami's foot came heavily down onto his lower back and his chin burned as his face was shoved down into the carpet.

"You…are such…a horrible…host…!" Yami panted, sitting adamantly on Kaiba's shoulders, keeping him face down on the carpet as he lifted the beer from Kaiba's limp fingers with his feet, cracking it open triumphantly and taking a swig, disappointed to discover that it was lukewarm.

"Get off." Kaiba's muffled voice came from between his legs, and Yami threw his head back and laughed maliciously, setting the beer down on the glass table and leering down at the mess of brown hair underneath him.

"I'm very comfortable here." Yami said plainly, seeing Kaiba thump a pale hand on the carpet and point at his own face.

"My face is touching the—"

"As a good host, you should see that your guests are comfortable." Yami spoke over Kaiba's protests, carefully eyeing Kaiba's hand, which had curled into a tight fist.

Kaiba struggled weakly and gave Yami the finger, feeling lightheaded the longer Yami's weight pressed into him from above.

"Hmm?" he heard Yami taunt him, sounding pleased. "Not going to fight me? Scared?"

Gathering his strength, Kaiba did a push up and rolled himself onto his back, feeling Yami topple off of his shoulders, only to land on his side with a painful thump on the carpet with his legs splayed, hissing at him in annoyance.

Without thinking, Kaiba grabbed one of Yami's legs and gave him a bite on his thigh, right through the fabric of his leather pants, feeling his teeth scrape on the smooth material as Yami let out a yell and knees locked around the sides of his head and squeezed painfully at his temples.

"Ow! Fuck!" Kaiba cried, his vision turning green, and a throbbing headache pounded behind his eyes as Yami gave him another tight squeeze, laughing evilly.

"Your eyes will pop out if I do that again," Yami said threateningly, reaching down to grab a fistful of Kaiba's hair between his knees and giving it a solid pull. "Apologize."

"Let…go." Kaiba hissed, his eyes watering as he stared at the bulge that was clearly visible underneath Yami's belt. An…alcohol-induced boner?

"I'm comfortable like this too," Yami lied, feeling himself sweat as his head spun violently. Oh damn…he was really drunk…and aroused.

He watched Kaiba's hand slowly lift up from the carpet to rest on his thigh, and the heat from it caused his entire body to burn with a strange fire.

Kaiba's hand moved lower, towards his inner thigh, and Yami's breathing quickened with excitement as he watched Kaiba stare at his boner through his pants.

The pressure around Kaiba's head loosened, and he took this chance to dive his head down to viciously bite Yami's dick through his pants, feeling himself shiver as his teeth grazed across hard flesh, and Yami let out another yell, attempting to kick him away, but Kaiba held him steady by the waist, keeping his fingers hooked over the edge of Yami's belt and giving it a few suggestive yanks downwards.

Frozen in shock, Yami watched Kaiba mechanically undo his belt and inch his pants down across his hips to stare at the bulge in his underwear.

"What, never seen a dick before?" Yami said nastily, attempting to sound spiteful when he realized he was weak all over.

Kaiba's vision blurred and shifted strangely as he fixated on the seam lines in Yami's plain black underwear.

"No, I just thought your underwear would be more exciting." Kaiba said plainly, suddenly realizing that he had zero sexual experience up until this point, and that this was the first thing he could think of to say, because he had read in a magazine somewhere that women liked being complimented on their choice of underwear, therefore insulting Yami's choice of underwear was a good way to—

A sharp knee was shoved into his chest and Kaiba was jolted out of his thoughts as he tried to wrestle Yami to the ground again, but failed as Yami scrambled out from underneath him and got up on his knees to begin viciously dry-humping his face.

"I…didn't know…you…cared…" Yami hissed as he freed his boner from his underwear and poked the tip of his dick against Kaiba's cheek, seeing him wince while his ears slowly reddened.

"Open your mouth," Yami said eagerly, watching Kaiba sit back on his heels, looking as if he was about to refuse. "You said you wanted to repay me? This is how."

Kaiba blinked rapidly, unsure of what was happening as the tip of Yami's dick nudged the corner of his mouth, and something possessed him to turn his head, and Yami wasted no time, ramming his entire length past Kaiba's teeth and into his mouth, enjoying the silky tongue that padded tentatively underneath his shaft.

"You're bad at this," Yami said gleefully, patting the top of Kaiba's head, watching Kaiba's eyelids flutter uncertainly. "I think I've finally found something you're bad at, Mr. Top Star."

Upon hearing this, Kaiba let out a huff of air through his nose as a searing rage consumed him, and he surged his head forward to clamp his lips tightly around the head of Yami's dick, giving his tip a vicious suck and hearing Yami shout frantically above him.

Yami felt his head spin, and his elbows stung as he fell back, trying to compose himself, his vision blurring as he watched Kaiba bob his head eagerly between his legs, sending violent jolts of pleasure running up and down his legs, causing them to weaken further.

Kaiba pulled away and gave the inside of Yami's thigh another rough bite, and Yami didn't react this time. His legs remained still with his dick standing at attention and wet with saliva, his chest rising and falling heavily while he glared at Kaiba with narrowed eyes, giving him a firm nod and glancing back down at himself.

"Keep going." Yami demanded, his stomach curling at the sudden loss of feeling, and to his dismay, he watched Kaiba reach forward to wrap his slender fingers around his shaft to give him a few, slow strokes upwards with a look of deep concentration etched across his handsome features.

He let out a hiss of annoyance while threads of warmth ran up and down his body whenever Kaiba brought his hand down heavily towards his base. The searing, burning heat had vanished and was replaced with repetitive strokes, and Yami was stuck in an agonizing haze of stomach-curling pleasure and fiery jolts of heat, at the mercy of Kaiba's hand.

"It…doesn't fucking…feel good," Yami lied through clenched teeth, attempting to keep the waves of pleasure from consuming him. A bit of variety would be nice. Did he have to say it out loud? Or was Kaiba really that stupid?

Kaiba frowned and paused in his motions as doubt swirled low in his chest. Shit. Well, what was he doing wrong?

Yami blinked, watching Kaiba's frown deepen. There was a long pause, and it suddenly dawned on Yami that Kaiba had probably never done anything like this before.

"Hey, Mr. Perfect," Yami smiled evilly and pressed the base of his heel against Kaiba's chest, giving him a rough nudge. "Never fooled around before? Never touched yourself before? Which is it?"

"Shut the fuck up." Kaiba replied heavily, his cheeks burning with humiliation.  
Yami had figured it out, as expected of him. Was his inexperience really that obvious?!

Yami paused, Kaiba's words ringing in his ears while his heart raced with excitement and glee. Seto Kaiba…was a virgin! Who would've thought?!

He quickly stiffened his leg, giving Kaiba's chest a solid kick and watching Kaiba fall back onto the carpet with a soft thump, gazing up at him nervously, his blue-eyes wide with apprehension.

Yami straddled him tightly, now unable to contain his excitement as he stared at the soft strands of light brown hair falling away from Kaiba's cheeks. Perfect.

"Lesson one," Yami said hastily, padding his hands down Kaiba's chest, feeling his head rush as he felt the muscles tense underneath his palms. "Take off your pants."

"I'll pass." Kaiba responded coldly, trying to ignore the heat from Yami's stiffness seeping in through his shirt while he sat pertinently on top of him. "I don't want this lesson from a man, much less someone like you."

"I don't think you can afford to refuse," Yami replied gleefully, giving Kaiba's belt a solid yank and tossing it across the room, hearing it fall somewhere behind him with a soft clink before he tugged Kaiba's underwear down across his hips, pleased to see a warm, hard length emerge under his nose.

Kaiba blinked rapidly, shivering as his leaking tip was exposed to cold air, and he watched Yami inch down lower on his body to grab his dick, rubbing it steadily and with practiced confidence. Yami brought himself closer, bucking his hips forward and pressing the head of his own member against Kaiba's, palming them both thickly and enjoying the way Kaiba's thighs tensed underneath him strongly every time his hand grazed across his tip.

"Lesson two," Yami panted, enjoying the solid waves of pleasure crashing over him steadily while he rubbed his thumb into his own slit before doing the same for Kaiba, feeling their wetness gather beneath his fingertips. "It feels good, when you do this…"

Kaiba shut his eyes and lost himself in the wonderful feeling of Yami's heat and hands at his center. He could barely hear anything Yami was saying. All he could hear was his own heartbeat pounding in his ears, and the way his breathing quickened and slowed down every time Yami teasingly brought him to the edge of a delicious orgasm before slowly letting him down again by giving the base of his dick a tight squeeze.

"Look at you, you fucking love this," Yami said, sounding almost disgusted as he hovered over Kaiba, drinking in his blissful expression. A small bubble of satisfaction sat low in his chest as he leaned away and gave Kaiba's dick a few more strokes, feeling Kaiba's thighs tense so wonderfully underneath him, he almost came himself, but he held out, watching Kaiba tilt his head back so much, only the strong outline of his jaw was visible as he rode out the ripples of his orgasm.

Breathless, Kaiba opened his mouth to speak, but a strange sound escaped his lips, so he kept his jaw clenched tightly, trembling from the residual shocks of heat from his orgasm. Yami's face came into view above him, his spiky blonde bangs hanging handsomely away from his delicate cheeks while he grinned.

"Lesson three," Yami said eagerly, reaching down with a clean hand to grab Kaiba's wrist and placing his pale hand on his dick. "Show me what we've learned today."

Kaiba propped himself up on his elbows, his ears ringing, his head spinning, and he grabbed Yami's length strongly, stroking him up and down with equal vigor and feeling Yami rock back and forth heavily on top of him, nodding happily.

Yami's wetness slipped wonderfully in the palm of his hand, and Kaiba slowed his pace, copying his previous movements, rubbing Yami's tip in a slow circle, letting Yami thrust into his hand, and his musk was strangely overpowering. Yami let his breath out slowly, finally giving in to the pressure building low in his stomach as he orgasmed pleasurably into Kaiba's hand, glancing down at himself and pleased to see Kaiba's shocked expression.

Kaiba was panicking internally, unsure of what to do. Yami had just cum all over his stomach and his shirt, and the semen was dripping down his side, undoubtedly getting into the carpet.

"Fuck! Get off, get off!" Kaiba hissed, and Yami threw his head back to laugh heartily just as several thumping knocks echoed at the door.

They both froze and exchanged fearful looks as the reality of the situation hit them extremely hard. They were half-naked on top of each other, covered in their combined fluids, and someone had to answer the door because the person knocked loudly again.

"Answer the door! I can't answer it! I don't live here!" Yami whispered frantically, edging off from Kaiba's body and realizing that his thigh was now also covered in semen. He was also no longer wearing his shirt.  
When had Kaiba taken it off?! Or had he taken it off himself! Where was it?!

"I'm naked!" Kaiba growled, pointing down at himself and hastily pulling his underwear up over his still-erect penis, feeling lightheaded and wondering why all the buttons down his shirt had been opened. When the fuck did Yami do that?!

He watched Yami shake his head anxiously at him while the stranger pounded on the door for the third time, and the walls seemed to shake from the force of the knocks.

"Fine, fine!" Yami cried, hastily buttoning his pants with a sticky hand and wincing as he strode to the door and hesitated for a moment, before pulling it open to see a very angry girl with messy hair in a fluffy purple bathrobe, glaring viciously at him.

"Who are you?" she demanded icily, her eyes darting over his shoulder and down across his body, taking in the fact that he was shirtless and fixating on the odd stain on Yami's pant leg.

"Who the fuck are you?" Yami shot back, incensed, and he gripped the door handle tightly, resisting the urge to slam the door in her face.

"I live in the unit under you!" she said angrily, folding her arms and planting her feet apart threateningly. "Please stop having violent sex with your girlfriend. I've been hearing thumping and banging for the past two hours. Stop!"

"I'll stop… _we'll_ stop," Yami replied hastily, moving to shut the door, wondering if he ought to be more apologetic, thinking he shouldn't have slammed the bathroom door earlier. Kaiba wasn't kidding about the getting noise complaints.

He watched her angrily suppress a yawn and stomp off down the warmly lit hallway, and he shut the door quietly after her, breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

Yami walked back towards the couch and was mildly shocked to find it empty.

He heard soft thumping coming from upstairs, and he saw Kaiba dragging a large futon down each step, looking extremely exhausted and disheveled. The sound of running water was coming from the closed bathroom door, and Yami curled his hands into fists, thinking Kaiba was being oddly thoughtful.  
This was fine. He would take full advantage of this and then leave in the morning before Kaiba woke up.

Kaiba heard a door slam behind him and he straightened up, narrowly missing seeing Yami's shadow sliding underneath the crack of the bathroom door as it swung shut.

What a fucking night.

Kaiba sat down on the floor beside the futon as he patted it out, and tried to quell the confusion and lust he felt towards what had just happened.  
That wasn't considered sex, was it?  
But it had felt…wonderful, and he would seriously consider doing that with Yami again, maybe even differently next time, if there would even be a next time.

He lay down across the futon, feeling his head spin again, and a mild headache began pounding at his forehead.

But Yami seemed like the type to come and go. He hit every checkmark underneath the "worst boyfriend" section in the magazines.

Yami was rash and aggressive, which meant he would draw attention with random fights and brawls with the gangsters on the street.  
Yami was intelligent and confident, which meant he would be capable of cheating on him with at least three other people, maybe even five.

And if Yami was tamer, and had a sweeter disposition, it would give him less anxiety if they were to date.  
That would be… _if_ a relationship was possible between them.  
What constituted a relationship?!

Everything about this situation was difficult, but the challenge almost seemed worth it if Yami could make him orgasm like that every night.

Kaiba shut his eyes and let the sound of running water echo in his ears. Whatever. He would talk it out with Yami when he showed his face.

Yami stepped out of the bathroom and draped the damp towel around his shoulders, sweeping his gaze over the room and stopping at the sleeping figure of Kaiba on the floor…right on top of the futon that was supposed to be his for the night.

Frowning, Yami strode over towards the futon and stood over Kaiba, his chest tightening with a strange emotion as he gazed down at his peaceful expression.

This was…Mr. Perfect. Seto Kaiba. Top student, school prodigy, talented in everything ranging from academics to athletics. And together, they had just….

Yami shook the water out of his bangs and sat down on the futon with a huff, willing himself not to think about it.

He tossed the towel aside and lay down, propping his head up on his elbow, staring at Kaiba's light brown hair inches away from his chest.

Kaiba had his pick of sexy models to date! Why would he think twice about looking at his classmate, who had caused him so much trouble in the past, and on top of that, was male.

Yami shut his eyes and briefly considered blackmailing Kaiba into a relationship with him as "repayment".  
Relationships were hard work, but being sexually intimate with Kaiba felt so wonderful, it almost seemed worth it.  
How would that work?  
Or would he receive dirty looks every time he wanted to initiate something sexual? Because that was an amazing handjob, and it would've been fine if they had gone further!

Sighing, Yami shut his eyes and rolled over onto his other side, staring at the lights shining in from the balcony window, hoping that his feelings would be clearer to himself in the morning.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

Thank you YLJE for your wonderful edits! 3333

Ok real talk. -sits down at the table and pulls out the chair beside me and points at it-  
Sit. please thank you  
ok.  
so.  
One of my greatest fears and insecurities as a writer is creating a story that is boring, or that GETS boring. Sooooo promise you guys will tell me when it is getting boring...yeah? IM COUNTING ON YOU I NEED YOUR HELP.

I've also decided that for this story, i will post _by scene_ , and not by word count.

Recently in my past few stories, i've been trying to pace each chapter by word count, and that might not be the right thing to do, because i always ended up cutting off at a cliff-hanger, intentional or not

I recently read an article that flashed across my 'recommended for you' section, and the title caught my eye.

It was: "Why you don't have a book in you."  
I WAS CRUSHED to say the least.

Because i've been writing so much, i thought that the next logical step was to just...push out a novel, you know? With original characters and such. If writing fanfic is the lap pool at the gym near my house, then pushing out a novel is like... swimming with the big kids in an olympic size pool in a foreign country.  
Similar, but very different.

But anyway, back to soul-crushing article.

Basically, the person was saying they have seen so many people try to pitch "books" to literary agents and fail, because the story lacked certain elements, but they neglected to say what elements?!

So relating this back to me, and you...the reason i ask for so much feedback is cuz i REALLY NEED IT! How the fuck can i know what elements are missing if no one says so?!

Do I hope to write a book someday? S-s-urrrrre. But that is a daunting and terrifying thought. i'm always getting messages asking me if i have original work out? And what is my name? And the answer is always "IDFK?!"

And I don't even know what to write this "book" about! I mean, gay stuff, obviously, but I'm still swimming in the kiddie pool with my little fins and paddles.

And i'd really appreciate any support or feedback you guys throw at me.  
It really helps me create this content that you hopefully want to keep reading.

So, thank you, thank you, thank you, and please, leave a review xD

Much love,

UGLI


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